For those of you who are too young to get the pop-culture reference, 7•UP was at one time marketed as the “uncola,” and it would seem there are those who are marketing Hellenismos as the unreligion. What does it say when certain individuals and groups will not even say that something as basic and essential as sacrifices and offerings were/are fundamental practices?

We had been talking about the fundamentals of Hellenismos on the Olympianism Yahoo Group, and one person expressed strong criticisms of Reconstructionists and Ethnikoi, stating not only were the definitions we use too narrow, but just flat out wrong. While she had a lot of unsupported opinions about how wrong Reconstructionists and Ethnikoi were, she did not once offer any real alternative. She used a lot of flowery words, but avoided making any statement as to what she considered practicing Hellenismos.

It took some prodding, but she finally stated that the Hellenic religion is “undefined” because it had no “systematic religion”.  She was, to a point, correct in saying there was no “systematic religion”, but she takes that soundbite to an extreme, and represents it to mean there were absolutely no systems in place, there were no traditions and customs, there were no identifiable ethics. She is an example of a certain segment that promote the Hellenic religion as the unreligion.

Read the rest of this entry »

…sacrifice to the deathless gods purely and cleanly, and burn rich meats also, and at other times propitiate them with libations and incense, both when you go to bed and when the holy light has come back, that they may be gracious to you in heart and spirit…” ~ Hesiod, Works and Days

Read the rest of this entry »

I present this copy of Sallustius’ On the Gods and the Cosmos, an authoritative statement of Hellenic doctrine, as an archival version. While not going into great detail, within this work, Sallustius supplies us with an elementary summary of principles (catechism) for Hellenismos, each which can be sourced back to earlier thinkers such as Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus and others. Sallustius provides with clarity and simplicity the obligations, priorities, and mindset of ancient Hellenic religiosity. It is from this work, as well as the works or other ancient philosophers and sages, that we have identified the Seven Pillars of Hellenismos: Ethike Arete (habitual excellence), Eusebia (piety), Hagneia (purity), Nomos Arkhaios (ancient tradition), Sophia (wisdom), Sophrosune (soundness of mind/control of self), Xenia (hospitality/reciprocity).

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the first terms someone new to Hellenismos will encounter is the word orthopraxy. What is orthopraxy? An orthopraxy is a religion that places emphasis on what one does rather then what one believes, while orthodoxy places weight on correct belief over lifestyle. Many eagerly embrace this new terminology, coming from very dogmatic religions such as Christianity, but then become confused or even upset when religious discussions turn to topics of ideals, ethics, reason, or authentic traditional practices. They incorrectly assume these things fall under orthodoxy and belief, rather than practice.
 
Read the rest of this entry »

I’d like to start this blog post by stating that I am by no means an expert on children, or Hellenismos. What I am is a Mother that is a Hellenic Reconstructionist, and starting my child on the Path.

Read the rest of this entry »

In one of my many conversations regarding Hellenismos, an individual told me he did not believe there was any good “basic” information regarding the ritual practices from the many sources online. The accusation seems to be that most new to Hellenismos should independently sift through volumes of texts, extracting the basics of practice, and as a result, most conversations were over the newbie’s head. Doing a quick search, I was actually surprised how sparse and scattered the most basic information was, and while I have addressed these more basic topics in The Beginner’s Guide to Hellenismos, I wanted to create a Quick Guide for those who are new. A Quick Guide is a document that is not intended to be all-inclusive, but provides the bare-bones essentials to start. No one can look at this work as all that is needed, but it does provide basic information for a person to create a working practice while continuing to learn.

Read the rest of this entry »

In our continuing dialogues we have covered the importance of honoring the Twelve, appropriate patron relationships within a Hellenic paradigm, virtue and vice, personal deities are personal daimons and tutelary spirits, and the Hellenic religion overall. Today, I wish to discuss the Household Gods and everyday practice. Many new to Hellenismos seem to focus only on the grand festivals and large public sacrifices of the city-states, which in some respects is understandable, but this focus leaves large and empty gaps. In many respects, a practitioner of Hellenismos who places their main emphasis on festivals is like a Christian who only sees the inside of a church on Christmas or Easter. 

Read the rest of this entry »

I was recently asked about a comment made regarding the Twelve. The basic question was about the worship of the Twelve being distinct. What did that mean? The reader took from this declaration the writer wanted to imply honoring the Twelve was “distinct from” the Hellenic religion. The idea being that there were many cults in Greece that cannot be said to be indicative of the Greek religion. That the worship of the Twelve was its own unique cult within the Greek system, but cannot be said to define the Greek religion. I went to the site and read the whole comment, and in context it seemed to be a statement that there are more Olympians than just the Twelve, which is true, but this does seem to have reignited controversy in this topic. Therefore, I have gone back through my material, and had a long conversation with my friend Astalon. This is what we have (again) concluded.

Read the rest of this entry »

When speaking about Hellenismos, it is said that Hellenismos has no absolute or strict doctrine. While our religion is identified by a basic theology and the use of and adherence to specific traditions, sacred texts, and mythology, personal theologies are acceptable. Hellenismos though, at the end of the day, is more a religion of abstract ideas and values, developed through both personal and communal experiences (emphasizing the qualitative value of the practical, emotional, insightful, and ethical), rather than a formal doctrine, dogma, or canon.

Read the rest of this entry »

The performing of ritual sacrifice seems to be the most worrisome religious act for many who are new to Hellenismos. There is some fear involved in burning items as offerings to the Gods. Some misconceptions exist that the process is complicated or difficult. Among others, there is even an idea that the act of sacrifice is an out dated, antiquated method of worship that has no place in modern society or religions. In this post, I want to address the different forms of sacrifice, the different types, a proper method for performing them, and (in the process) dispel a few myths on the subject. While there is some crossover with the acts of libation and votive offerings, I am going to leave them as a separate issue, and discuss those at another time.

Read the rest of this entry »